# Mackay Region

The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869.
It has an estimated operating budget of A$118 million.
In the 2021 census, the Mackay Region had a population of 121,691 people.

## History

Yuwibara (also known as Yuibera, Yuri, Juipera, Yuwiburra) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwibara country. It is closely related to the Biri languages/dialects. The Yuwibara language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Mackay Region.
Prior to 2008, the Mackay Region was an entire area of three previous and distinct local government areas:
* the City of Mackay;
* the Shire of Mirani;
* and the Shire of Sarina.
The city had its beginning in the Mackay Municipality which was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864. Its first mayor was David Dalrymple, and the council first met on 1 December 1869. It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the Local Government Act. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Mackay became a Town on 31 March 1903, and was ultimately proclaimed a City on 17 August 1918.
On 11 December 1879, the Pioneer Division came into being as one of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 on 11 November 1879, chaired by John Ewen Davidson. On 31 March 1903, Pioneer became a Shire. Two areas split away from it over the next decade; the Shire of Sarina on 1 January 1912, and the Shire of Mirani on 4 September 1913.
On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Mackay area be rationalised. The Local Government (Mackay and Pioneer) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the two amalgamated into a larger City of Mackay, which first met on 8 April 1994.

### Mackay Region

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released a report making recommendations for statewide reform of local government boundaries, and recommended that the three areas of Mackay, Mirani and Sarina amalgamate, due mainly to Mackay's role as a regional centre and all three shires' involvement in sugar production. The City of Mackay endorsed the suggestion, but the two shires proposed alternative options. In the end, the commission's proposal was unchanged. On 15 March 2008, the City and Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

## Mayors

* 2000–present: Gregory Roy Williamson

## Council

Mackay Regional Council is unsubdivided, meaning it does not have any wards. The mayor is directly-elected.
The incumbent mayor, Greg Williamson, formed the Greg Williamson Alliance ahead of the 2016 election, with six members of the group re-elected in 2020.
In 2023, four councillors left the group, and in 2024 Team Greg Williamson was formed with the stated aim of "creat[ing] a progressive, modern council".

### Current composition

The current council, elected in 2024, is:
| Position | Councillor | Party |
| Mayor | Greg Williamson | Team Greg Williamson |
| Councillor | Karen May | Team Greg Williamson |
| Councillor | Martin Bella | Independent |
| Councillor | George Christensen | Mackay First |
| Councillor | Namarca Corowa | Mackay First |
| Councillor | Peter Sheedy | Independent |
| Councillor | Belinda Hassan | Independent Labor |
| Councillor | Allison Jones | Independent |
| Councillor | Ash-Lee Johnson | Team Greg Williamson |
| Councillor | Nathenea MacRae | Mackay First |
| Councillor | Heath Paton | Mackay First |

## Past councillors
### 2020−present

| Year | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor |
| 2020 | Karen May (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Martin Bella (Ind/Ind. LNP/Ind) | Laurence Bonaventura (Ind.) | Justin Englert (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) | Michelle Green (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Belinda Hassan (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Alison Jones (Ind.) | Fran Mann (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Russell Seymour (Ind.) | Pauline Townsend (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) |
| 2021 | Karen May (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Martin Bella (Ind/Ind. LNP/Ind) | Laurence Bonaventura (Ind.) | Justin Englert (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) | Michelle Green (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Belinda Hassan (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Alison Jones (Ind.) | Fran Mann (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Russell Seymour (Ind.) | Pauline Townsend (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) |
| 2022 | Karen May (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Martin Bella (Ind/Ind. LNP/Ind) | Laurence Bonaventura (Ind.) | Justin Englert (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) | Michelle Green (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Belinda Hassan (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Alison Jones (Ind.) | Fran Mann (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Russell Seymour (Ind.) | Pauline Townsend (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) |
| 2023 | Karen May (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Martin Bella (Ind/Ind. LNP/Ind) | Laurence Bonaventura (Ind.) | Justin Englert (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) | Michelle Green (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Belinda Hassan (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Alison Jones (Ind.) | Fran Mann (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Russell Seymour (Ind.) | Pauline Townsend (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) |
| 2024 | Karen May (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Martin Bella (Ind/Ind. LNP/Ind) | Laurence Bonaventura (Ind.) | Justin Englert (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) | Michelle Green (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Belinda Hassan (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Alison Jones (Ind.) | Fran Mann (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Russell Seymour (Ind.) | Pauline Townsend (Williamson Alliance/Ind.) |
| 2024 | Karen May (Williamson Alliance/Team Williamson) | Martin Bella (Ind/Ind. LNP/Ind) | George Christensen (Mackay First) | Namarca Corowa (Mackay First) | Peter Sheedy (Ind.) | Belinda Hassan (Williamson Alliance/Ind. Labor) | Alison Jones (Ind.) | Ash-Lee Johnson (Team Williamson) | Nathenea MacRae (Mackay First) | Heath Paton (Mackay First) |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 Queensland local elections: Mackay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Labor | Belinda Hassan (elected) | 26,376 | 4.16 | |
| | Mackay First | George Christensen (elected) | 25,556 | 4.03 | |
| | Mackay First | Namarca Corowa (elected) | 25,440 | 4.01 | |
| | Independent | Martin Bella (elected) | 25,364 | 4.00 | |
| | Independent | Peter Sheedy (elected) | 25,118 | 3.96 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Ash-Lee Johnson (elected) | 24,404 | 3.85 | |
| | Independent | Alison Jones (elected) | 24,399 | 3.84 | |
| | Mackay First | Nathenea MacRae (elected) | 24,149 | 3.80 | |
| | Mackay First | Heath Paton (elected) | 24,084 | 3.79 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Karen May (elected) | 24,000 | 3.78 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Michelle Green | 23,941 | 3.77 | |
| | Independent | Pauline Townsend | 23,601 | 3.72 | |
| | Mackay First | Melissa Fowler | 23,486 | 3.70 | |
| | Independent Labor | Fran Mann | 23,118 | 3.64 | |
| | Mackay First | Keith Hicks | 22,705 | 3.58 | |
| | Mackay First | Jeff Keioskie | 22,390 | 3.53 | |
| | Mackay First | Kylee Stanton | 22,274 | 3.51 | |
| | Mackay First | Ian Christensen | 21,831 | 3.44 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Neil Wallace | 21,730 | 3.42 | |
| | Mackay First | Lindsay Temple | 21,222 | 3.34 | |
| | Independent | Justin Englert | 19,432 | 3.06 | |
| | Independent | Greg Fisher | 19,076 | 3.01 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Peter Freeleagus | 18,902 | 2.98 | |
| | Independent | Russell Seymour | 18,063 | 2.85 | |
| | Independent | Kimberly Doyle | 17,805 | 2.81 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Stephen Cutting | 17,792 | 2.80 | |
| | Independent | Les Scott | 17,462 | 2.75 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Joshua Thornton | 17,370 | 2.74 | |
| | Independent LNP | Ian Rowan | 13,580 | 2.14 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 73,008 | 82.16 | |
| Party total votes ||||||
| | Mackay First | Mackay First | 233,137 | 36.73 | +36.73 |
| | Independent | Independent | 190,320 | 29.98 | |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Team Greg Williamson | 148,139 | 23.34 | |
| | Independent Labor | Independent Labor | 49,494 | 7.80 | |
| | Independent LNP | Independent LNP | 13,580 | 2.14 | |
| Party total seats | Party total seats | Party total seats | Party total seats | Seats | ± |
| | Mackay First | Mackay First | Mackay First | 4 | 4 |
| | Independent | Independent | Independent | 3 | 1 |
| | Team Greg Williamson | Team Greg Williamson | Team Greg Williamson | 2 | 4 |
| | Independent Labor | Independent Labor | Independent Labor | 1 | 1 |
* Team Greg Williamson changes compared with Greg Williamson Alliance at 2020 election
* Belinda Hassan was elected as Greg Williamson Alliance but became Independent Labor in December 2023
* Fran Mann was elected as Greg Williamson Alliance but became Independent Labor in December 2023
* Justin Englert was elected as Greg Williamson Alliance but became independent in December 2023
* Pauline Townsend was elected as Greg Williamson Alliance but became independent in December 2023

## Settlements

The Mackay Region includes the following settlements:

## Demographics

The population figures for each of the predecessor local government areas prior to the 2008 amalgamation:
| Year | Total Region | Mackay | Pioneer | Mirani | Sarina |
| 1933 | 28,124 | 10,665 | 9,926 | 4,412 | 3,121 |
| 1947 | 32,947 | 13,486 | 11,606 | 4,587 | 3,268 |
| 1954 | 37,924 | 14,762 | 14,316 | 5,056 | 3,790 |
| 1961 | 41,196 | 16,809 | 15,741 | 4,760 | 3,886 |
| 1966 | 48,580 | 18,640 | 19,900 | 5,379 | 4,611 |
| 1971 | 51,903 | 19,148 | 22,561 | 4,772 | 5,422 |
| 1976 | 57,903 | 20,224 | 26,938 | 4,889 | 5,852 |
| 1981 | 66,057 | 20,664 | 33,732 | 4,739 | 6,922 |
| 1986 | 70,674 | 22,199 | 36,084 | 4,854 | 7,537 |
| 1991 | 76,372 | 23,052 | 40,614 | 4,625 | 8,081 |
| 1996 | 86,376 | 71,894 | 71,894 | 5,088 | 9,394 |
| 2001 | 89,877 | 75,020 | 75,020 | 5,220 | 9,637 |
| 2006 | 101,525 | 85,450 | 85,450 | 5,406 | 10,720 |
The estimated population figures (official census population figures are in bold) for the amalgamated Mackay Region from 2008.
| Year | Total Region Population | Change Since Previous Year | % Change Since Previous Year |
| 2008 | 108,644 | +2,618 | +2.47% |
| 2009 | 111,455 | +2,811 | +2.59% |
| 2010 | 113,699 | +2,244 | +2.01% |
| 2011 | 112,798 | -901 | -0.79% |
| 2012 | 117,603 | +4,805 | +4.26% |
| 2013 | 119,076 | +1,473 | +1.25% |
| 2014 | 119,272 | +196 | +0.16% |
| 2015 | 118,771 | -501 | -0.42% |
| 2016 | 114,969 | -3,802 | -3.20% |
| 2017 | 116,601 | +1,632 | +1.42% |
| 2018 | 116,514 | -87 | -0.07% |
| 2019 | 116,761 | +247 | +0.21% |
| 2020 | 117,902 | +1,141 | +0.98% |
| 2021 | 121,691 | +3,789 | +3.21% |

## Services

The Mackay Regional Council operates libraries in Mackay, Mount Pleasant, Walkerston, Sarina and Mirani. A mobile library service visits the following districts on a fortnightly schedule: Yalboroo, Bloomsbury, Midge Point, Ball Bay, Seaforth, Koumala, Swayneville, Hay Point, St Helens Beach, Calen, Shoal Point, Oakenden, Habana, Blacks Beach, Slade Point, Hampden, Marian, Gargett, Finch Hatton, Homebush, Chelona, McEwens Beach and Bucasia.